Apparatus for use in wireless telegraphy.



No. 573,418. Patented may 7,1901. .1. ausm/. 1 APPARATUS FUR USE INWIRELESS 'I'.ELElI-IAPIIYv (Anuman -med sept 2 1899;) (no nodal.) 1

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NITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOHN HURRY, OF FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,418, dated May '7,1901.

Application lled September 2, 1 89 9.

To CLZZ 7,071,077?, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BURRY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Fort Lee, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparat-us for Usein Wireless Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for use in the art oftransmitting and receiv-` ing signals by means of oscillations ormanifestations of the ether, whether on sea or on land, and moreparticularly to apparatus at the receiving-station.

In Letters Patent of the United States, dated the 13th day of July,1897, bearing No.1 586,193, and granted to Guglielmo Marconi, a completesystem of wireless telegraphy, popularly' so called, is disclosed,wherein several forms of receiving apparatus are described. In LettersPatent of the United States, dated June 27, 1899, bearing No. 627,650,and granted to said Marconi, modified forms of the receiving apparatusare shown. In the apparatus shown in said Letters Patent (and in allimprovements thereon with which I am acquainted) it is not possible touse the ordinary dot-and-dash or Morse system of signaling, owng'to thefact that the imperfect electrical contact or contacts employed areautomatically restored to their normal condition of high resistance assoon as a circuit of a given strength is once established through them.From this it results that several vibrations of the Morse receiverrepresent a dot and a greater number of such vibrations represent adash, though of course at the sending-station the key is (or may be)operated as in ordinary telegraphy.

One object of the present invention is to cause the vibrations of theMorse receiver at the receiving-station to harmonize with the movem entsof the key at the sending-stationthat is, the movements of thearmature-lever ot the receiver relay or sounder will be practicallysynchronous with the movements of the lever of the sending-key, or a dotsent will be a dot at the receiver and so also for a dash.

Many forms of imperfect electrical contacts have been made, proposed, orused, some of Serial No. 729,280. (No model.)

which are self-recovering or self-restoring to a normal condition ofpoor conductivity, and some are quick and some are slow to recover saidnormal condition. Others are quick to recover for a time and then losethat power in a measure and have to receive additional treatment or restbefore they regain that power, and yet others gain or lose such powerduring use.

One object of the present invention is to provide intervals of time inwhich the imperfect electrical contacts shall be cut off from thecollector of the oscillations or manifestations of the ether, duringwhich time the said contacts may be restored to their normal conditionof poor conductivity (or the reverse) either by self-recovery or bymeans appropriate to the particular kind of contact in use.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the descriptionhereinafter.

In the said Letters Patent to Marconi are described several forms ofreceiving apparatus, one as having the receiving devices connected withthe secondary of an inductioncoil, another as having complete metalliclocal circuits, another as having the terminals of the metallic part ofthe local circuit one in the air and the other inthe earth, (or water,)and a third as having both metallic terminals in earth or water Theapparatus forming this invention and hereinafter described may be usedin each of the cases just referred to above, and this fact should beborne in mind in the description hereinafter given of a specificinstance or application of the invention and alsoiu the construction ofthe claims.

According to the present invention a number of imperfect electricalcontacts are arranged in multiple at the receiving-station and means areprovided for progressively switching less than the whole number of saidimperfect electrical contacts into and out of the local circuit, wherebyeach of said contacts is out of circuit for portions of the time, duringwhich portions of time it may automatically recover itself or may berestored to its normal or imperfect condition by means adapted to thatend and depending upon the `nature of the imperfect electrical contactsused in the particular case. By preference but one imperfect electricalcontact is in circuit at one time, and also at least three such contactsare employed at the receiving-station, said contacts being arranged asabove set forth. Circuit-completing connections areV legraphy, IAprovide a relay or sounder and a' battery with the coilsof the magnetand the cells of the battery in series and in a circuit connected to thecollector or the conductor therefrom. The self-induction of themagnetcoils prevents the oscillations or etheric manifestations frombeing grounded or short-circuited through the relay and battery. Thearrangements are such that the battery-current goes through theelectrical contacts whenever these are in circuit with the battery andhave hadtheir resistance reduced by the action of an oscillation fromthe distant sending-station; but the lresistance through the coils ofthe magnet of the relay or sounder and through an unacted-upon imperfectelectrical contact and the battery is so great as to practically haveopen circuit-that is to say, the magnet is not strong enough to attractthe armature-lever of the relay to itself; but once an oscillationreduces the resistance of a contact the battery-current becomes strongenough to cause the magnet to attract the armature-lever, and so tooperate the line or other circuit. If, as is intended, the

receiving instrument be operated at such a speed that more than oneimperfect contact (in the preferred arrangement) be switched in duringthe sending of a dot, the interval between the cutting out of onecontact and the cutting in of the next is so slight that the magnet doesnot have time to become discharged, and so does not release .thearmature-lever. Of course when a dash is transmitted and received thesame fact holds truej for the greater number of contacts so cut out andin.

A particular form of the invention will now be described in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication, inwhich- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View, and Fig. 2 is a View, partlydiagrammatic and partlyv in elevation, of the preferred form of theinvention.

The refe-rence 1 indicates a conductor having one end connected to abrush 2. The other end of said conductor may beV connected to or mayform a collectoi` for the oscillation or manifestations of the ether.

3 is a sunflower having three segments 4 5 6, which areinsulated fromeach other and from a metal shaft 7, on which a trailer 8 is securelyfastened, as by a hub 9 and set-screw 10. The said brush 2 bears uponthe hub 9. The brush, hub, trailer, and segments named? are ofconducting material.

l1 12 13 are three imperfect electrical contacts, of which Contact 11 isconnected with segment 4, contact 12 with segment 5, and

contact 13 with segment 6 by electrical con- Y ductors, as will shortlyappear.

Each of the contacts 11 12 13 shown in the drawings is formed of anon-conducting tube 14, preferably of glass, metal trunnions 15, andmetallic powder or grains of metal 16. The grains of metal are loose andinV such a condition that when the tube 14 is tapped or j arred orshaken they may move. The plugs 17,which are contin nous with trunnions15, are of the same diameter as the tube and are sealed in place. Thetrunnions or journals 15 rest in bearings 18, preferably of insulatingmaterial. If of metal, the bearings 18 should be insulated. Intermediatethe journals 15 and the plugs 17 are cylindrical parts 19, on whichbrushes 2021 bear. The metal brushes or springs 20 21 are secured toarms or lugs 22 on the arms or standards, in which the bearings 18 areformed, and are insulated therefrom if said lugs 22 themselves are notof insulating ma terial. The brush 2O for the contact 11 is connectedwith segment 4 by a` conductor 23 and screw 24, the brush 2O for contact12 with segment 5 by conductor 25 and screw 26, and brush 2O for contact13 with segment 6 by a conductor 27 and screw 28. The brushes 21 of thecontacts 11 12 13 are connected together and to the return, as theearth, by conductors 29 30, or the local circuit or return thereof maybeotherwise completed, as above intimated. The magnet 31 of a relay orsounder is connected with brush 2 by a wire 32 and with one pole of abattery 33 by a wire 34. The other pole of the battery is connected withthe said return or circuit-completing connections, as wire 30, by aconductor 35. The armature-lever 36 of the relay or sounder vibratesbetween contact-s 3738, which may be in a local or a line circuit, (notshown,) an adjustable spring 39 being employed, as usual, to move thelever 36 away from magnet 31.

The imperfect electrical contacts herein shown are agitated or shakento'restore them to their imperfect condition by rotating them in theirbearings 18, and thisis conveniently and automatically done by means ofmutilated disks mounted upon the shaft 7. For this purpose the bearings18 of the contacts 11 12 13 are arranged in line with each otheradjacent to and parallel with the shaft 7, and the shaft is providedwith three disks 40 41 42, on the periphery of which are soft-rubbersegments 43. Each segment 43 extends-over or covers substantiallytwo-thirds of the periphery of the disk on whichit is placed, leav- IOOIIO

lated portions of the disk peripheries is shown in Fig. 1 moreparticularly. From the described arrangement' of the mutilated portions44 45 46 it follows that each contact is rotated by the correspondingdisk during nearly two-thirds of the time, and the segments 4 5 6 andconnections therefrom to the contacts and the portions 44 45 46 are soplaced relatively to each other that each por tion 44 45 46 is oppositeits contact 11 12 13 during the time the trailer 8 is on thecorresponding segment 4, 5, or 6. The trailer 8 is driven at a high rateof speed-say two thousand turns per minute-and thus passes rapidly fromone segment to another of the segments 4 5 6, and the mutilated disksrotate with equal rapidity and rotate and shake the contacts 11 12 13.The etheric oscillations started at a distant or sending station are collected, intercepted, or picked up at the receiving-station in anysuitable Way and conveyed by the Wire 1 to the brush 2, and thence passthrough shaft 7 and trailer 8 to Whatever segment or segments of thesunflower the trailer may be in contact with or over which it may passWhile the production of the oscillations may last, and so pass to theimperfect electrical contact or contacts in succession and to earth orother return. The passage of the oscillatory current through thecontacts 11 12 13 decreases the resistance thereof to such an extentthat the current through the relay becomes strong enough to cause thelever 36 to be drawn over against stop or contact 37, and the lever 36there remains as long as the sending-key is held down to cause sparkingor oscillations at the sending-station, notwithstanding the fact thatthe trailer 8 may pass from one segment to another during such time.Whenever the key at the sending-station is released or opened, theoscillations cease, and at the receivingstation the imperfect contacts,which are continuously restored to their normal conditions by therotation of the tubes 11 12 13 by the disks on shaft 7, break thecircuit through the relay practically, whereupon the spring 39 draws thelever 36 over against contact or stop 38. From the foregoing it will beseen that the length of time thatthe armature-lever 36 remains incontact With the stop or contact-point 37 depends upon the time the keyat the sending-station is held closed, whence it is obvious that signalsmay be sent in the Way common `in ordinary telegraphy by dot and dash,and that the apparatus described translates the oscillations into dotand dash at the receiving-station.

While I have shown and described three imperfect electrical contacts atthe receivingstation, my invention is not limited to the use of thisnumber, nor is it limited to the use of imperfect electrical contacts ofthe kind heretofore described, for it is obvious that my system of usinga number of such contacts in alternation-that is, of using less than theWhole number and of progressively changing those in use and disnse--maybeused in the case of contacts which are selfrestoring Without departingfrom the scope of my invention. Also my system may be used in order toopen a circuit instead of closing one, (the case illustrated in thedrawings and hereinbefore described,) in which case the contacts Wouldincrease instead of decreasing their resistance under the inuence of theoscillations of the ether.

Of course suitable capacities or condensers may be or are. used Whereverthe situation permits or demands them; but I have not deemed itnecessary to show them.

What is claimed is- 1. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, thecombination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, asu nflower, means for electrically connecting the segments of thesunfiower and said contacts by pairs, a trailer connected with said Wireor conductor and coacting with said sunflower, and circuit-completingconnections from said contacts, substantially as described.

2. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressivelyconnecting and disconnectingless than the Whole number of said contactswith and from said conductor, and means acting on each of said contactswhile it is not in circuit With said conductor to restore it to nor malcondition, substantially as described.

3. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressivelyconnecting and disconnecting said contacts one at a time With and fromsaid conductor, and means for acting upon each of said contacts While itis not in circuit with said conductor to restore it to normal condition,substantially as described.

4. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number ot` imperfect electrical contacts, asunflower, means forelectrically connecting the segments of the suniiovver and said contactsby pairs, a trailer connected with said conductor and coacting with saidsuniiower, circuit-completing connections from said contacts,and meansfor acting upon each of said contacts while it is not in circuit Withsaid conductor to restore it to normal condition, substantially asdescribed.

5. In wireless telegraph y, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively co`nnecting anddisconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts With and fromsaid conductor, and circuit-completing connections from said contacts,With a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with eachother and With said conductor and circuit-completing connections,substantially as described.

6. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting said contacts one at a time with and from said conductor,and circuit-completing connections from said con- TOO IIO

tacts, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected witheach other and with said conductor and the circuit-completingconnections, Substantially as described.

7. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, a sunflower, means for elec-` tricallyconnecting the segments of the sun-1 flower and said contacts by pairs,circuit-completing connectionsfrom said contacts, and a trailerconnected with said conductor and co-` acting With said sunflower, witha relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected trical contacts,means for progressively con-` necting and disconnecting said conductorwith and from less than the Whole number o'f said contacts,circuit-completing connectionsl from said contacts, and means for actingupon each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with saidconductor to restore it to normal condition, with a relay or sounder anda battery electrically connected with each other and With said conductorand said circuitcompleting connections, substantially as described.

9. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting said conductor with and from said contacts one at a time,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for actingupon each of said contacts Whileit is not in circuit with said conductorto restore it to normal condition, with a relay or sounder and abattery. electrically connected with each other and with said conductorand said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

10. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, a suniiower, means for electricallyconnecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts by pairs,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and a trailerelectrically connected With said conductor and coacting with saidsuniiower, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically 'connectedwith each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completingconnections, substantially as described.

11. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of rotatable imperfect .electrical contacts, means forprogressively connecting and disconnecting less than the Whole number ofsaid contacts with and from said conductor, circuitcompletingconnections from said contacts, and means for rotating each of saidcontacts While it is disconnected from said conductor, substantially asdescribed.

12. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of rotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable byagitation to normal condition, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting said contacts one at a time with and from said conductor,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for ro-'rating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit With saidconductor, substantially as described.

13. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of rotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable byagitation to normal condition, a sunilower, means for connecting thesegments of the sunflower and said contacts by pairs, a trailerconnected with said conductor and coacting with saidv suniower,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means forrotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with saidconductor, substantially as described.

14. In' Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of aconductor, a sunflower, a trailer electrically connected with saidconductor and coacting with said suniiower, a rotary shaft on Which saidtrailer is fast, a number of independently-journaled imperfectelectrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation andarranged adjacent said shaft with their axes parallel thereto, means forconnecting said contacts with the segments of the sunflower by pairs,circuitcomplet-ing connections from said contacts, and means carried bysaid shaft for rotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuitwith said conductor, substantially as described.

15. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a sunflower, a trailer electrically connected with said conductor andcoacting with said sunflower, a rotary shaft on which the trailer isfast, a

-number of independently-journaled imperfect electrical contactsrestorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking and arrangedadjacent said shaft With their axes parallel thereto, means forconnecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts electricallyby pairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and anumber of mutilated disks on said shafts arranged to rotate the contactsWhile they are not in circuit with said conductor, substantially asdescribed.

16. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofrotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal conditionby shaking or agitation, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts With and fromsaid conductor, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, andmeans for rotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit withsaid conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electricallyconnected with each other and with said conductor and saidcircuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

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- each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor,with a relay or sounder anda battery electrically connected with eachother and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections,substantially as described.

18. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a suniiower,a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting withsaid sunflower, a rotary shaft on which said trailer is fast, a numberof independently j ournaled 'imperfect electrical contacts restorable tonormal condition by agitation or shaking and arranged adjacent saidshaft with their axes parallel thereto, means forconnecting the segmentsof the sunflower and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completingconnections-from said contacts, and means carried by said shaft forrotating each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with saidconductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connectedwith each other and with said conductor and said circuit-coinpletingconnections, substantially as described.

19. In wireless telegraphy, the combination ofa conductor, a suniiower,a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting withsaid suniiower, a rotary shaft on which said trailer is fast, a numberof independently-journaled imperfect electrical contacts restorable tonormal condition by shaking or agitation arranged adjacent said shaftwith their axes parallel thereto, means for connecting thesunflower-segments and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completingconnections from said contacts, and a number of mutilated disks on saidshaft arranged to rotate said contacts while they are not in circuitwith said conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electricallyconnected with each other and with said conductor and saidcircuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

20. The combination of a tube of insulating material, metal plugs ineach end thereof, metal powder or grains between said plugs andin saidtube, journals connected with said plugs, bearings for said journals,and circuitterminals or contact-brushes bearing on parts integral withsaid plugs, whereby a circuit may be established through said tube andthe tube may be rotated in order to agitate the metal grains or powderto restore the same to normal condition, with a rotatory mutilated diskarranged to rotate said tube in said bearings, substantially asdescribed.

21. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a sunflower, a

trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coat-ting withsaid sunflower, a shaft on which the trailer is fast, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition byagitation or shaking, and arranged adjacent said shaft, means for`electrically connecting` the sunflower segments and said contacts bypairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and meansactuated by said shaft for agitating or shaking each of said contactswhile it is not in circuit with said conductor, substantially asdescribed.

22. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal conditionby agitation or shaking, a rotary shaft adjacent to which said contactsare arranged, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting saidconductor with and from less than the whole number of said contacts, andmeans operated bysaid shaft for agitating 4or moving each of saidcontacts while it is disconnected from said conductor, substantially asdescribed.

23. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of independentlyrotatable imperfect electrical contactsrestorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking, a rotary shaftadjacent to which said cont-acts are arranged with their axes parallelthereto, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting saidconductor with and from less than the whole numberof said contacts, andmeans carried by said shaft j for rotating each of said contacts whileit is IOO not in circuit with said conductor, substantially asdescribed.

24. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition byagitation or shaking, a rotary shaft adjacent to which said contacts arearranged, means for progressively connecting and disconnectingless thanthe whole number of said contacts with and from said conductor,circuit-completin g connections from said contacts, and means operatedby said shaft for agitating or moving each of said contacts while it isnot in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder and abattery electrically connected with each other and with said conductorand said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

25. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a brush electrically connected with said conductor, a trailerelectrically connected with said brush, a three segment suniiower withwhich the trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contacts,electrical connections between each of said segments and a correspondingcontact, and circuit-completin g connections from said contacts,substantially as described.

26. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,l a brush with l which the conductor is electrically connected,

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a trailer withr which the bru'sh is connected electrically, arotary'shaft carrying said trailer,a three-segment suniower with whichthe trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contacts restorable tonormal condition byl agitation or shaking and arranged adjacent to saidshaft, electrical -connections between? each segment and a correspondingcontact, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and meansoperated by said shaft for agitating or shaking each of said contactswhile it is not in circuit with said conductor,

substantially as described.

27. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a brushelectrically connected therewith, a trailer electrically connected withthe brush, a shaft carrying the trailer, a three-segment sunflowerwithwhich ftheg trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contactsrestorable to normal condition by agii tation or shaking and arrangedadjacent to said shaft, electrical lconnections between each segment anda corresponding contact, and circuit-completing connections fromsaidcontacts, with a relay or sounder and a b atl tery electricallyconnected with each lotherv and with said conductor and saidcircuit-com- 3 pleting connections, substantially as described.

2S. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a brushelectrically connectg ed therewith, a trailer electrically connected fwith said brush, a three-segment sunowergj Iwith which the trailercoacts, three imperfect i electrical contacts,'electrical connectionsbetween each segment and a corresponding contact, and circuit-completingconnections from said contacts, with a relay or sounder and a batteryelectrically connected with each other and with said conductor and saidcircuit-'completing connections, substantially as del scribed.

29. In wireless telegraphy, the combinationcontacts, and mutilated diskson said shaft arranged to rrotate each contact while it isout of circuitwith said conductor, with a relay or sounder anda battery electricallyconnected with each other and with said conductor and saidcircuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New f York and State of New York,this 1st day of September, A. D. 1899.

' JOHN BURRY.

Witnesses:

CHAs. A. BRODEK, RICBARD W. BARKLEY.

